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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer said that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, based on their accounts of his past behaviour. He added that the leader's "constantly changing" statements had been less than credible.

“Throughout his answers to valid inquiries, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Surface

A published report last month outlined the statements of several ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, described that a teenage Farage "would approach me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That included me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have emerged; about 20 people have now alleged they were either victims of or witnesses to deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

The behaviour they outlined cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were not telling the truth.

Observers have highlighted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his denials.

They also point to his inability to sanction a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He went on to say: “Claiming that 20 people have somehow misremembered the same things about his nasty behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for high office, he must confront the anxieties of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Racism in all its forms is completely opposed to the standards of this country and we should not let it to ever become accepted in politics.”

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would understand as being drafted in a certain style to communicate, but also not to say something,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence before the release of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers asserted that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, condoned, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later altered his position in an appearance, remarking: “Did I say things as a youth that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and harm anybody”. Farage later put out a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”